


Folklore

by RegalPixieDust



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:00:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25703200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RegalPixieDust/pseuds/RegalPixieDust
Summary: a collection of extremely angsty one shots/drabbles inspired by Taylor Swift’s new album and OQ Prompt Party 2020
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Robin Hood, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Robin Hood
Comments: 43
Kudos: 27





	1. The 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt 64: Robin and Regina dated and broke up - something he always regretted. When he finds out that she's getting married, he decides to confess his love and try to win her back. But he has second thoughts when he sees her at the church. Will he stop the wedding or not?

Robin never imagined he would be here, especially not under these circumstances. He knocks on the tall wooden door a few seconds before her voice calls out that she just needs a bit more time.

Ignoring her request, he quietly slips inside the room. He’s nervous as hell, his palms sweating and he contemplates the repercussions of walking inside.

The fire is roaring in the corner, heating the room that is pristinely organised despite the wedding day clutter that’s to be expected of a Bride’s time getting ready. 

Her back is turned from him but his breath is already stolen away, the white of her gown contrasting so beautifully with her skin. Her hair is down, curled and draped over the skin revealed by her backless dress. 

He’s lost in her. And he shouldn’t be. 

When Regina realises that she isn’t alone, she turns to give him a full view and is met by a reaction that does not mimic his own. While Robin is chock full of admiration, she is visually angry, uncomfortable and lost.

“What is this?” she demands to know, her face flushed with shock.

“Hi,” he exhales heavily, a shrug of his shoulders accompanying it. He’s not surprised that it sets her off, not even slightly.

She scoffs from the other side of the room, crossing her arms tightly across her chest as the sunlight from the large, tall window behind her eclipses her figure. 

“Hi?” she questions furiously before adding, “After four years, _that’s_ the best you can do?” She begins to back away from him even though he hasn’t dared to breathe let alone move yet. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“You’re getting married,” he says plainly, careful to not let his own feelings about that make anything worse.

“I am. And I think I would remember your RSVP considering I didn’t even send you an invite.”

Robin knew her reaction was going to be a strong one, but he’d be lying if deep down it all just fell back to what he remembered it used to be.

“Mary Margaret mentioned it a few months back and-“

“Of _course_ she did. Every time you are tossed in front of me her name seems to be wrapped up in it all,” Regina grunts, rolling her eyes madly. “So, what? You both devised up some crazy plan to ruin it all?”

“Wait,” he replies quickly, desperate to clear Mary Margaret’s name. “No. She told me to stay away.”

“Then why are you here?” Regina whines. “Of all days to spring back up, after I told you last time I didn't want to hear it, you pick the one that is supposed to be the happiest of my life? Are you that hell bent on making me so miserable? You didn’t do enough damage already? And _seconds_ before I’m about to walk?!”

His stomach is in knots, pulling tighter and tighter with every accusation. He notices how much he has pained her, the tears brimming her perfectly painted eyes are evidence enough. 

“I’m so sorry,” he whispers, immediately regretting every decision that led him here today. “You’re right, I should have never come here, it was a stupid thing to do.”

“Why _did_ you come?”

“I don’t know,” he admits. “When I found out you were getting married, part of me was thrilled for you. And when I found out you were marrying Daniel, I was so happy it was someone worthy of your love. But part of me wishes…” He stops for a moment, sighing with a slump, “Ever since I found out, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, about us. We were magic, Regina. We were something, don’t you think so?”

“Don’t,” she whispers. “Please don’t. Don’t act like you didn’t have a chance at this. And then you come into my life after so much time to dig up this grave, and for what? Because you’re jealous and bored?

“I’m not jealous,” he assures her, even if he is slightly lying. “I just needed to know…”

“Know what?” she bites angrily.

“If one thing had been different, would everything be different today?” he asks nervously, his gaze falling to the floor at his feet.

“You left me,” she reminds him sadly. “This isn’t fair. I fought for you for months and you never gave me a reason to try any longer than that.”

“I had a lot going on,” he tries to defend himself, the second time he has tried to tell her this, but he is immediately cut off.

“And I would have been with you every step of the damn way, but you chose to toss me out of your life. And _Daniel_ was the one who stuck by me through it all.”

“He loves you,” Robin agrees. “Even I know that. I know that you are both perfect for each other. But you and me, we were _made_ for each other, Regina.”

“You destroyed me,” she growls, seething with anger now. “What was your plan? To walk in here, throw me for a loop and expect me to just walk out on a man who loves me as easily as you walked out on me?” she scoffs. “You’re pathetic. Get out. Get out _now._ ” The weight of his own selfishness and bad judgement calls begin to drag him down into a pool of embarrassment. This wasn’t at all what he intended to do. He just wanted to know if she ever thought about how it could have been fun, if he could have been the one. Instead he stupidly ambushed her and painted himself horribly in her mind once again.

The least he can do is get as far away from her special day with whatever is left of his dignity. He apologises sincerely and bows away towards the door that he never should have opened in the first place.

She utters his name softly when he gets to the door and she’s turned away again. “You’re wrong, you know,” she says over her shoulder, her eyes locked into a stare with his through the reflection of the mirror. “Not about Daniel, we _are_ perfect for each other. But I think you and I were always meant to break.”


	2. Cardigan

Robin’s unexpected appearance that morning lingered in the back of her mind for most of the ceremony and reception, though only in the moments where her attention wasn’t solely devoted to Daniel. During some of the speeches, her mind wandered a little too but now that she is outside on the balcony, her thoughts are entirely consumed. 

It’s dark, the night sky above her crystal clear and decorated and dotted with stars for as far as she can see. It’s the first time in a long time that she remembers staring up at the sky and losing herself amongst them. She’s almost certain she avoids doing it nowadays actually.

She and Robin would always look up at the stars, especially after days that brewed angry arguments with her mother. Together, they would weave their way through the tall trees of the forests in Storybrooke until they’d find a comfortable spot to lay down and stare up at the sky. 

At first, he’d point out constellations to her and tell her all the little tidbits of knowledge he had scrounged up in the mere hours before until his knowledge melted away and they would stay silent until she was ready to talk. He’d never push. Ever. Sometimes she’d breakdown and tell him everything even though he already knows it all, sometimes they’d just hold hands, and sometimes he would kiss her all over, tracing over her scars softly as if he were mapping out the constellations he loved so much on her skin. 

He had a magical way of making her feel special, of making her feel important and like anything other than a forgotten cardigan under her bed. That’s what makes the memory of him so difficult and what made seeing him earlier that day so painfully tragic. 

She knew him as a young man, dressed in dark shades of green, sneaking whiskey for them from his father’s liquor cabinet. She knew him as an optimistic boyfriend with dreams as vast as the starry sky that used to bind them. She knew him as a town, a place she could call home. But now she knows him as a persistent what-if, a lingering scent of pine and musk, and all those scars he would softly kiss ache at the very thought of him. 


	3. The Last Great American Dynasty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't think I would manage to find a way to make this all one verse, but I'm having one trying to! This focuses on Robin and Regina's initial break up and the aftermath, five years prior to Robin showing up at Regina's wedding.

_ Five Years Ago... _

John is sitting on the porch of 108 Mifflin Street, not phased at all by the gentle, drizzling mist of rain making his clothes and curly hair damp. He’s early, as always, waiting for Mary Margaret to meet him after calling earlier that morning out of the blue. 

It’s weird sitting where he is. For months before it, this house has been a heart and a beacon of light and laughter for so many. The front door is usually unlocked and open to all, there would be some sort of aroma wafting from the kitchen, whether it be Regina’s famous lasagne or Robin’s poor attempt at cookies. Instead, the lights are off and the overcast is bluntly reminding him that the love this house knew is gone and he isn’t sure if it will ever be back. 

Mary Margaret pulls up in her car and parks just at the end of the path, John standing politely as she and Ruby emerge from the car and scurry to protect themselves from the rain under the porch by his side. 

“Thanks for coming,” Mary Margaret smiles sadly, rummaging around in her purse for the set of keys she uses to open up the front door. 

John steps back to let Ruby and Mary Margaret inside first, closing the door slowly behind him with a click and they are surrounded by a deafening silence. 

“This is weird,” Ruby moans, the first to feel comfortable to utter a breath let alone a sentence.

“Mhmm,” John agrees, fidgeting a little, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his large leather jacket. “I was happy to hear from you but I don’t exactly know why I’m here,” he tells them. Mary Margaret had only asked him to meet her there that morning and if he could bring his truck along with him, there wasn’t much more said as to why. 

“We’ve been helping Regina move everything out of the house,” Mary Margaret explains as she guides them passed the staircase and into the spare room. There are flattened boxes everywhere and things randomly piled on top of each other all over the room. It’s madness and a complete mess. “Everything we found of Robin’s was thrown in here. She wants it gone.”

“That’s understandable,” John agrees. 

“We tried to get in touch with him, but…” Ruby adds solemnly, bowing her head down to the floor as the air becomes awkward. 

“I haven’t heard from him,” John tells them both honestly. “And I swear to you that if I ever do, I will let everyone know right away. But the last time I saw him or heard from him was the night before the wedding. If I’d known he wasn’t going to show up, I-”

“We know,” Mary Margaret hushes him gently. “We aren’t accusing you of hiding anything, truly. Nobody expected Robin to run. It shocked all of us and we don’t know him half as well as you, so I can’t even imagine how confused you must be.”

“It’s the most out of character thing he’s ever done,” John sighs. “I’m angry with him. Furious, even. What he did to her is something I wouldn’t wish on any person in this world.” 

Regina was inconsolable that day, confused and in denial for hours while everyone drove around Storybrooke to try and find him. They never did. Regina had to go home alone, still in her wedding dress and she locked herself inside for days on end. 

“Is it bad that I hope he’s alright?” he asks. It has been lingering in the back of his mind for a few weeks now. Amidst the anger and confusion at his best friend, the anxiety that anchors him down grows stronger and stronger with each day that passes. 

“No,” Ruby assures him. “We don’t know what happened. And as angry as I am at him, I have to believe that he must have had some kind of reason to make him disappear like that. I think about him every day and I hope more than anything that he is safe.”

“Me, too,” Mary Margaret chimes in. “That’s kind of why we called you. When we asked Regina what to do with his things, she said to destroy it.” 

They all chuckle nervously at that, John knows how strongly Regina can feel about certain things and she would be in her right to destroy everything he ever touched. 

“But I don’t want to ruin his things,” Mary Margaret explains. “I was hoping you could maybe take them? If you want to, at least things you might think he’d want back. David and I have been storing some things in a unit on the outskirts of town and there is still quite a lot of room, so I was thinking we could keep some stuff there.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” he commends. “And I appreciate that you called me.”

“Of course,” she nods. “As I said, you know him best, I knew you’d know how to siphon through everything.”

He and Ruby start to go through the scattered belongings while Mary Margaret goes upstairs to finish up a few more things she promised to do for Regina. For the most part, John thinks they should keep everything and begin to carefully put it into boxes. After an hour or so, all that is left are Robin’s clothes and there are so many John assumes that trash bags would be better to just cram them somewhere for the time being, but something has caught his eye.

There is a dusty box in the corner and he curiously opens it to find a collection of old photographs, some he remembers seeing before. He takes a good look at the one right on top and recalls the night everyone found this box of historical treasures. It was almost two weeks after Robin and Regina initially moved in and the house was finally deemed put together enough by Regina to have company. They drank, they laughed, and they explored the night away. It wasn’t until the wee hours of the morning that the group of them still buzzing and awake climbed their way into the small attack after Robin told them about all the things that were left abandoned there. 

The rummaged through old belongings and photographs of the lady who used to live in the manor. Regina was infatuated with the stranger’s style and even more enamoured with all the newspaper clippings of her dramatic divorces from well-known businessmen and the life she led after each one.

_I hope that doesn’t mean the house is cursed,_ Robin joked at the time, only for Regina to respond that it looked like the lady who used to live here had a _marvellous time_ _even after having her life turned upside down._

“Maybe the house  _ is _ cursed,” Ruby says from his side, frightening him slightly, but he’s relieved that he’s not the only one plagued by that thought. 

“Well, as Regina said, this lady ended up having a marvellous time after everything she went through. We can only hope that the same is true of our friends,” John offers as comfort. “How is she?” he asks finally, not sure why it wasn’t the first thing to come out of his mouth.

“A mess,” Ruby sighs, leaning into John’s side comfortably as they continue to look at the photograph of the who they were once convinced was the last great American dynasty. “I keep thinking about what could have been if she never showed up that day during Junior year, that if they had never met she wouldn’t be so hurt. I wish I could take her heartache away and tell her that he wasn’t good for her but at the same time, I can’t imagine a world where they don’t end up together. I suppose I’m in just as much denial as she is.”

“There’s still time,” John offers optimistically. “Maybe the universe can’t handle the strength of their love quite yet and it has decided to challenge them.”

Ruby snorts almost, telling him, “I can’t believe out of your little friend group,  _ you _ are the hope speech giving Mary Margaret.”

They laugh softly, like an echo of the roaring laughter this house has heard before. 

“Give this to Regina,” he tells Ruby, giving her the photograph of the woman who used to live here. “Make sure she remembers that this woman lived one hell of a life after losing love. And please make sure she knows that we, his friends, love her dearly and she is always welcome with us.”

“I will,” Ruby promises. “Only if you promise to not be a stranger.”


	4. exile

Coming back to Storybrooke with Daniel was one of the most reluctant decisions she has ever made lately. She initially told David that she couldn’t make it for his birthday party but Daniel had insisted that they go. He all but begged to see where she used to live and meet her friends. 

Surprisingly, as the time grew nearer, the grew less apprehensive, mostly due to Daniel’s excitement. He was excited to hike and see the horses, something she took for granted as a teenager now that they live in a city.

Everything fascinated him on the way into town, especially how small every seemed. He was practically bouncing with excitement when they parked outside Granny’s.

Walking into Granny’s is strange, unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. They are crowded quickly with hugs and greetings but Regina is immediately floored by the face she finds over shoulders standing by the jukebox. They stare at each other as Regina’s stomach drops to the floor. 

Robin moves towards the bar, their eyes linked until he turns away to order a drink and then Regina politely steps to the side of the big group, leaving Daniel with everyone to keep him distracted but she grips on Mary Margaret’s arm and pulls her to the back hallways of the diner. 

“What is he doing here?’ Regina bites, darting her piercing look back towards Robin who is trying is hardest to not turn back and look at him. 

“Oh. Uh. He... he…” Mary Margaret stammers, her face washed with an apology. “I’m sorry, he’s back in town we couldn’t _not_ invite him.”

“And you didn’t once think to warn me?” Regina scoffs in a harsh whisper.

“You wouldn’t have come,” Mary Margaret stresses quietly. 

Regina straightens up, pulls at the collar of her tailored jacket and tells her, “You’re damn right I wouldn’t have. We’re leaving.”

“Regina, please, you just got here,” Mary Margaret sighs. She points over to Daniel who looks to be having a ball with a mountain of new friends. “This was going to happen eventually.”

Regina steps forward, getting right in Mary Margaret’s face and tells her nastily, “This might be the most stupid, disrespectful thing you’ve ever done to me.” 

Regina continues towards the back of Granny’s and slips out the side door into the alley and is engulfed by golden sunlight. She isn’t sure where she’s walking, taking turns every now and then and ending up venturing into the forest she used to love until she finds herself at the spot she and Robin would escape to; It was her gut instinct to come here, the small patch of forest that saw her first kiss and hundreds of tears, everything she used to be flooding back to her. 

She’s alone for a while, perched on the log she remembers being much more comfortable, until Robin’s voice sounds from behind her, saying her name gently.

“No,” Regina groans, standing up and stepping as far away from him as she can.” _No._ You don’t get to do this.”

“I just want to try and explain,” Robin says, coming out from behind the bush he wandered up towards.

“You’re a year too late for that, don’t you think?” Regina chuckles sourly. “Maybe on the run up to our wedding would have been a more appropriate time to _try and explain_ ,” she mocks with air quotes. 

“You’re right,” he agrees, desperately explaining, “I should have talked to you every day I had a doubt and told you everything that was going on. I was going through so much, I-”

“Robin, I don’t want to sound heartless, but I really, really don’t care,” Regina interrupts rudely, sighing deeply into her crossed arms before shrugging. “You fucked up. There’s nothing for us to fight for or defend any more. You ruined everything and half the time I wish I had never even met you.”

Regina can see the way his face drops and she would be lying to herself if she said it didn’t tug at her heartstrings a bit, but then the way he mutters _I didn’t mean to hurt you_ makes her snort bitterly and mutter a disbelieving, “Right.”

“I will regret what I did to you for the rest of my life.”

“Spare me,” Regina growls, desperate for him to shut up and leave her alone, but her words keep coming. “Just admit one thing for me,” she asks curiously.

“Anything,” he agrees immediately, dropping his hands down to his side and ready to answer anything she asks of him.

“Talking to me about this,” she starts, “Is it to make _me_ feel better or you?”

His shrug is instant, then he admits, “I was hoping it would make both of us feel better if I’m being honest.”

Part of her accepts his answer, but she feels inclined to tell him that, “There isn’t any amount of explaining you can do that will take away the hurt you caused me. So if this is all about assuaging your guilt, please consider yourself off the hook. There’s no need to add insult to injury here. I’m not your problem anymore.”

“Regina, please here me out,” Robin begs. 

“Give me one good reason to,” Regina challenges. “One good reason to listen to your justification for breaking my heart and leaving me abandoned with absolutely no warning signs.”

“There were _so_ many signs,” Robin admits, sighing deeply, completely destroying what little back and forth they had established. 

“Oh, so it’s _my_ fault?” Regina bites.

“No! God, no,” he waves that thought away immediately. 

Robin stands silently then, careful about what he’s going to say next she’s assuming, but then nothing comes. They stand awkwardly and silently for far too long when she starts to walk away. She walks passed him, just shy of the log when some sort of invisible string tugs her to a stop and turn around.

“I loved you,” she tells him softly, “I loved you more than I can even put into words, and until I met Daniel I was so scared to love again because of how empty you left me. I found myself believing that life is easier when you have nothing because nothing can’t be taken away from you.”

His back is still to her, and that’s probably for the best because if she could see the look on his face accompanied with the soft sniffles he’s making she might have had to stop.

“Why are you telling me this?” he asks. 

“Because, believe it or not, I don’t want you to live in agony as I did,” she admits honestly and calmly. “I hope you find peace and something to live for, but you need to give up on it being involved with me. I hope you find happiness again, I really do.” 

Robin turns around then, his eyes brimming with glistening tears, “And that right there is why you’ll always be a better person than me.”

“I don’t have to always be,” she says softly, staring into his icy blues for just one more second before disappearing out his sight forever, firmly beginning the exile intended to benefit them both.


	5. my tears ricochet

Robin didn’t notice her at the service, but amidst the wake, he caught a glimpse of her at the back of the crowd. She’s dressed in black, head to toe, much like everyone else in attendance. 

Regina’s the last person he expected to see today. The last memory he has of her is her teary-eyes while begging him to leave after a horrid choice to interrupt what was meant to be the happiest day of her life. 

He supposes it’s some sort of cosmic justice for her to appear on a day like today. Why wouldn’t the universe want to throw something else at him after losing his wife? Marian passed three weeks ago, suddenly and unexpectedly, turning his entire life upside down and ripping him apart. 

Everyone is offering their condolences with tight hugs and sad smiles but Regina doesn’t make any attempt to get closer. She is alone and stood with her back against a wall by the window. Robin excuses himself, passing by a table of pre-poured whiskeys and picking one up quickly before hiding himself in a small room at the end of a long hallway. 

The curiosity is killing him. He wants to know why she’s here even though, deep down, he’s convinced it’s to see him suffer. Maybe she wants to see the hurt in his eyes, maybe she wants to see if he is as pained as she was every night she wished he had stayed. 

Robin stares at his whiskey, desperate for the comforting burn that comes with it all the way down to his belly, but before he can give into it the door behind him creaks open and closed again. He hears the sound of high heeled shoes behind him, stepping close, and catches the subtle scent of her that hasn’t changed even after all this time. 

He waits for her to laugh, for her to curse his name and tell him that he had all of this coming, but it never comes. Instead, he places the drink down and turns to face her, and she steps directly in front of him and embraces him as tightly as she can. Neither speaks and his body freezes initially before relaxing into her unexpected support. 

He can only describe it as relief, the way he collapses into her, sobbing loudly into the curve of her neck as she hushes him gently.

“I didn’t know it would hurt this much,” he sobs, making her squeeze him even tighter.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispers sadly, letting him cry against her for as long as his tears wish to fall, for as long as they need to fall. 


	6. mirrorball

John is waiting for her by the entrance to the cabin, their reunion a sweet one. They embrace gently and comfortably, making a little bit of small talk until John sighs with relief confessing that he’s missed her terribly over the years. 

“Thank you so much for coming,” he exhales, releasing her from his arms. “We’ve tried everything and I didn’t know what else to do. He’s isolated himself for weeks now and he refuses to answer his phone.”

“You don’t have to explain,” she smiles tightly. “Really.”

“He was so relieved to see you at the funeral last month,” John tells her, “I doubt how much he realised he needed you. We’ve all missed you so much, I hope you know that.”

“I missed you, too, John,” Regina says fondly. “I figured I should weasel my way back into your lives, especially with your wedding on the horizon. Congratulations, by the way; I wanted to say so at the funeral but it didn’t feel like the right moment.”

“Not to worry,” John assures her. “We can’t wait. And I suppose I should thank  _ you _ . I would have never met Ruby if it weren’t for you.”

“You two are meant to be,” Regina insists, “Your paths would have crossed eventually.”

She walks towards the front door, hand on the door handle when John mentions, “It’s not pretty. Just to warn you.”

“I’ve got it,” she promises, stepping into a dark, messy house. There are dishes everywhere, clothes strewn over chairs with little to no indication if they are clean or not. His phone is powerless on the kitchen counter, abandoned an inch or two from his charging cable. She saunters through the mess and the sadness towards the closed door at the end of the hallways. 

She knocks on the door and waits. 

Nothing.

She knocks again and receives the same silence so she opens the door slowly and peers inside. He’s in bed, wrapped in his blanket and washed in darkness, his curtains tightly closed to block out the shining sun from outside. Something within her clicks and she loses every sense of apprehension. Instead, she walks inside with a purpose, all the way to those closed curtains and slides them open.

Robin groans violently, muttering an unappreciative  _ fuck _ before covering his head with his blanket. 

“Get up,” she demands, crossing her arms as she wanders back to the foot of his bed. 

He’s shocked she’s here, his head snapping out from below to blanket as he blinks madly in her direction as if one of those blinks might change what he’s seeing. 

“You know if John called  _ me _ , it’s bad,” she tells him, reiterating another, “Get up. You get four weeks to sulk and feel sorry for yourself and then you need to pull your shit together.”

His face drops, almost offended, “My wife is dead.”

“She is,” she nods carefully. “And I can’t even begin to imagine the pain you’re feeling. But shutting out your friends and the people who love you will only lead to more loss and pain, believe me, I know.”

He continues to stare at her blankly before rolling his eyes. “Why do you even care?” he groans, turning away from her and smashing his face into his pillow. 

Her heart is aching for him. She meant it when she said she can’t possibly imagine with the pain he is feeling but she isn’t a stranger to loss. She sits on the edge of his bed right next to the large mound of blanket that is hiding his body from her. 

“Have you started to not recognise yourself in the mirror yet?” she asks softly, a complete change of tone from before. She’s willing to try being a bit gentler with him if it’ll make his more responsive, and it works. He turns back around, staring up at her with tired eyes and the darkest eye bags she has seen on a face in a long time. “It’s scary,” she relates, “Not knowing who is staring back at you.”

She can tell that she has sparked a little bit of reaction within him but he still resists, “I appreciate what you’re trying to do but I’d really like to be left alone. You have no obligation to be here.”

“You’re right,” she agrees. “I don’t. I’m here because I want to be.”

“Why?”

“Because I think I’ve spent enough of my life hating you,” she sighs. “It’s exhausting, hating someone as much as I’ve hated you. And, if I’m being honest, I’ve never even truly hated you so much as I’ve just been disappointed. But it’s been ten years, almost eleven, and as much as you disappointed me before, no one deserves what you're going through.”

“So…” he mutters, “You’re here to forgive me and get me out of bed?”

“Whoa, slow down,” she kids with a gentle smile, “I wouldn’t go as far to say I’m forgiving you quite yet, but I  _ am _ saying that we were once best friends and we could get through anything if we were together, and I don’t want you going through this alone.”

His eyes are brimming with tears, his entire face flushed with appreciation, “I don’t deserve it.”

“The only thing you don’t deserve is this pain,” she counters. “We’ve both lost so much, I don’t want to keep you on the list of things I don't have anymore when you don’t have to be.” She reaches for his shoulder, giving him a comforting squeeze. “So, I need you to get your ass out of this bed.”

He chuckles softly, finally a glimmer of hope, loosening the blanket wrapped around him as he sits up against the headboard. “How did you deal with it? The emptiness when I left you…”

“Tears mostly,” she sighs honestly, “Drinking far too much, dancing until my feet hurt, and my friends. Not necessarily in that order.”

He smiles sadly, “I feel so numb.”

“I know,” she says. “It’s the hardest part, I can promise you that. Loss like this completely transforms us, you’ll probably find that you'll never be the same as before. Time is crazy like that. Would you have believed ten years ago that you and I would end up a widower and a divorcee?” Robin’s eyes bug out at her confession and she immediate apologises and explains, “It’s a long story and not important right now. I’m here for you. What can I do?”

She’s happy when Robin chooses to ignore her slip of the tongue, but he shrugs his shoulders, admitting, “Any idea how I can start recognising myself again?”

“Yes,” she nods. “Get up, shower and come out with me. Let me remind you of every version of yourself. We can go to The Rabbit Hole, we’ll ambush the jukebox, I’ll get you out on the floor and we will dance until we forget everything that has ever hurt us. Sometimes you need to forget to remember.”

Their eyes lock for a moment while she waits for his decision, unable to keep her smile from spreading when he nods and starts to shuffle from his comforter. She stands from his bed and offers both of her hands to help his stand up. He takes them gratefully, towering over her when he’s upright and more than happy to accept the hug she offers. 


	7. seven

_ Storybrooke, just after the end of junior year... _

  
It was the first night of summer break when they said their first  _ I love you _ . They lay against the dirty ground, much to Regina’s dismay, even though after a while it became surprisingly comfortable and comforting, as they stared up at the clear night sky for the thousandth time together. 

They started dating three months before, after a whole semester of annoyance turned teasing banter before they even came close to admitting that maybe there was a spark there. They fell together quickly and strongly, perhaps more fervently than they ever imagined possible. 

Their lives became intertwined, Robin’s problems because Regina’s and vice versa. They were each other's rocks, through thick and thin. 

That’s what brought them to their spot that night. Robin’s Dad has another run in with the sheriff for reasons that his mother was hellbent on keeping from him. Robin and his father were as opposite as two people could possibly be, but that doesn’t mean Robin never felt ashamed and wanted to hide away from it all.

“You make me forget all of the mess in my life,” Robin admired. “I don’t know how you do it.” She didn’t stop staring at the starry sky but her smile was wide and bright. “I love you,” he said, his voice brimmed with nerves. “So much.”

She looked over to him, eyes wide and her mouth just open in shock. He thought for a split second that he messed up colossally, that he should have kept his feelings to himself for a little bit longer. 

But she threw him, asking, “How much?”

The first thing that popped into his mind was  _ all the way to the moon _ but she guffawed playfully while insisting that, “That’s not very far.”

“ _ And _ Saturn,” he rectified, curious to know if that was quite enough for her.

“That’s better,” she smiled incredibly, reaching for his hand at her side. “Love you to the Moon and Saturn, babe,” she said confidently, turning into him to kiss him so incredibly softly, softer than she ever had before. 


End file.
